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in reply to Should I give up Perl?

Let me get this straight. You are a:

Consultant IT guy who sometimes codes in PERL, PHP, C, C++, BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL
who now, after twenty years experience, wants to give up using all these languages and become a PHP specialist because of a single PHP test result? Go for it! :)

Seriously, I wouldn't let the test result influence your decision. For me, such a choice would depend on economic factors, and on how much I enjoyed PHP compared to the other languages.

A few years back, I was astonished to find myself leading a PHP code golf competition despite being a complete PHP beginner! Rather than draw the conclusion that I was a "PHP natural" and should therefore "forsake Perl for where my abilities seem to lie", I concluded that the average PHP golfer was of a much lower standard than the average Perl, Python and Ruby golfer. Like LanX, I am not in awe of the technical abilities of the average PHP programmer. :)

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Re^2: Should I give up Perl?
by space_monk (Chaplain) on Jun 01, 2013 at 21:58 UTC
    Well the OP was a bit of a 'tongue in cheek' question.

    I applied for the PHP role as a bit of a joke, but the test result and the 'economic factors' have meant taking it more seriously. The salary on offer is around £70K/$100K plus substantial bonus, pension and other benefits, which is exceptionally good for PHP role.

    If you spot any bugs in my solutions, it's because I've deliberately left them in as an exercise for the reader! :-)
[reply]

      "'economic factors' have meant taking it more seriously."

      "First order of business, survival". Seriously though, in the turbulent times in which we live I know people who have had to change industry entirely, rather than substitute a one tool for another within the same (or similar) discipline. As you rightly state a poor worker can do a bad job regardless of the tool in use. Simply because you use one tool at a day job doesn't mean you have to give up the other as a hobby.

      Previously I've introduced perl in jobs where it wasn't used at all. Sensible employers/clients wont ignore a tool when you can prove it's advantages.

[reply]
      "The salary on offer is around £70K/$100K plus substantial bonus, pension and other benefits, which is exceptionally good for PHP role."

      This a serious matter. Don't hesitate, some others dream of this - or even don't have any job.

      Regards, Karl

      «The Crux of the Biscuit is the Apostrophe»

[reply]

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